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Making Your Own Frozen Fish Food

Head on over to your local pet store and you will find that you can buy a can of fish food for a couple of bucks. You have no idea what is really in there, but it is easy and cheap. However, your fish are likely suffering. They could look brighter, act livelier, be healthier, and live longer with better foods.

You could always spend more money and get a higher quality of food. However, you still won't know what is in your food and you won't really know if it is superior or if it just has a higher price. Plus if you have a lot of fish tanks it could be expensive to feed all of your fish this better food.

The good news is that you can make your own foods. You can choose to make flakes or you can make your own frozen. Many feel that the frozen varieties are better because they don't heat the foods as warm and that keeps more of the vitamins from breaking down. However, flake foods can be frozen and last about six months where the frozen variety should only be kept about three months. The choice is yours, but frozen foods can also be easier to make because you don't have to dry out the foods.

Choose your ingredients.

As with our own diets variety is a good thing. You want to include a variety of proteins and plant matter. Many choose at least one kind of fish. Clams, mussels, and even snails can also be added. Some chose to add beef heart or liver though this can make a mess in your tank and many agree that it isn't the healthiest option for your fish. A boiled egg and fish oil can also be great additions to this fish food.

Frozen foods for fish available at the local fish store are also good ideas to add to these foods. Brine shrimp, blood worms, and krill are just a few options available in your local pet store's freezer and by adding one or more of these you are likely to increase the nutrients of your fish food.

Next you should consider your plant materials. Spinach and zucchini are very popular options for adding to your food. However, peas, green beans, broccoli, and other vegetables can be used as well. Bananas, oranges, and apples are sometimes added.

Dry plant ingredients can be added to make a thicker paste and many of them are good for the fish as well. Consider baby oatmeal (better consistency than regular oats and less likely to cloud the water), wheat germ, and soybean flour.

Other things to add are vitamins. Some chose to chop up vitamins. Others choose vitamins from the fish store. They come in a liquid variety designed to soak your foods in. You can add this and it will make you fish food even more nutritious. Spirulina powder is an excellent source of nutrient and works wonders on your fish. It is expensive but small amounts are great additions. Many also add chopped garlic because fish love it, it makes all the food more appealing, and it is also supposed to keep them healthier.

To make this food you will also need unflavored gelatin. Most people use Knox brand, but it doesn't really matter as long as you go without a flavor. This will make the food easy to work with and it will be easier to use in your tanks because it doesn't come apart and make a mess.

Make Your Food.

Once you have picked out your ingredients you will want to mix up your food. To do this you will want to chop all your meats pretty small. Some use a blender while others claim that this makes things too small for the fish. Because everything is held together by the gelatin my personal opinion is that the blender saves time and energy. If you need to add a bit of moisture to get thick foods to blend better you can use the juices from any packaging, clam juice, or even a bit of vegetable or orange juice.

While you are blending all of your meat products together you will want to make sure that you are blanching your vegetables, especially any hard ones such as zucchini. Then blend all of these as well. It is good if you aim for different textures with each type of food.

Make your gelatin by following the directions, but cutting the water in half. Then mix it with all the ingredients.

Now you can choose how you want to finish it. Many people put it in the fridge and let it set up. It takes about six hours. You can do this and then cut it into pieces and freeze the pieces. The other option is to freeze the food directly. Some people do this by placing it in an ice cube tray and freezing it into little cubes while others place it into a seal able bag.

To place it in the bag you should add a small amount. Partially seal the bag and then begin to flatten the food. You want it to be even and pretty thin. Once you get about 2/3 of the way up you should finish zippering the bag. Place in the freezer on a flat surface.

To Feed Your Fish.

When feeding time comes you should take out a small portion of food. If you have frozen it into chunks you can take one out and let it thaw. If you froze them into sheets take it out and break off a piece. In either case let your chunk of food thaw for about an hour. Then toss it in and watch the fish break it up and enjoy it thoroughly.

This is a great way to go when looking at feeding your fish. Your frozen food can be kept in the freezer about three months and with a few ingredients it is easy to make three months worth in one big swipe. Overall it isn't real expensive, you know what your fish are getting, and you will have healthier fish. If you have a lot of fish you will also save money and time in the process. Plus this food is great for all your fish, no matter what size mouth they have!